


Five Times Tony Stark Proposed and One He Didn't

by Jaina



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Avengers Movies Universe
Genre: Drama, F/M, Het, Humor, M/M, Romance, Slash, Tony is incorrigible
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-04
Updated: 2012-12-02
Packaged: 2017-11-17 23:31:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/554408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaina/pseuds/Jaina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time that Tony Stark proposed to Pepper Potts, it was...unexpected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I.

**Author's Note:**

> This one takes place before the first movie, but as a whole it moves forward in time. No Iron Man III spoilers/speculation though.

**I.**  
  
  
  
The first thing Pepper Potts saw when she walked in Mr. Stark’s bedroom was the brunette. That, in itself, was not unusual. Mr. Stark’s enthusiastic appreciation of the female form was legendary. The second thing that Pepper saw was Colonel Rhodes. To be fair, it wasn’t the first time in the short weeks of her tenure as Tony Stark’s personal assistant that Pepper had arrived at the Stark residence early in the morning to find Colonel Rhodes passed out and draped over some piece of Mr. Stark’s furniture. Or just lying curled up on the floor.  
  
But it was the first time that Pepper had found him in Mr. Stark’s bed.  
  
Of course, Mr. Stark himself was still nowhere to be found. The brunette - well, black-haired, be-wigged woman, if Pepper was being specific about it - shifted in bed. Her arm sprawled across Colonel Rhodes’ bare chest and her face was nuzzled up against his ribs, although still completely obscured by her blunt, dark wig. The comforter was pulled over them in a manner that both looked hasty and barely did anything to cover Colonel Rhodes’ naked form. One of his legs sprawled out from underneath the comforter, while the woman’s blunt but well-manicured nails peeked just out from beneath it as they dangled off the other side of his chest.  
  
Pepper’s first instinct was to back quickly - and in horror - out of the room to give them their privacy. Her second thought came right on its heels. This one was more cognizant of the fact that a large portion of her duties as Tony Stark’s personal assistant seemed to be as his keeper. It was certainly a position no one else was seemed willing to volunteer for. Pepper was determined to take it just as seriously - and do it just as well - as the rest of her job. That meant knowing where Mr. Stark was at all times. It didn’t mean holding his hand when he went to the bathroom or curtailing an impromptu trip to Tijuana because he had a very important board meeting in the morning. It did mean that when he disappeared to Tijuana and got so blitzed out of his mind that he didn’t know his own name - much less the names of any of the bevy of blondes, brunettes and redheads likely to be hanging off his arms - Pepper would be there to watch his back and make sure nothing happened to him. Then, when he was ready, when it was necessary, Pepper would bring him back home safe and sound.  
  
Pepper refused to be intimidated into doing any different. The only reason that she had relented the previous night was Colonel Rhodes’ presence. It wasn’t that Colonel Rhodes was a calming influence, but he was more obviously grounded in reality than Tony. Of course that statement could be applied to almost anyone Pepper had ever met....  
  
And it was time to stop stalling. Mentally girding herself, Pepper spoke, making certain that when she did it was a calm, confident tone. As if she woke her boss’ best friend and his...companion from sleeping in said boss’ bed - having done who knows what in it - all the time.  
  
“Colonel Rhodes. James. Where is Tony? Did he spend the night somewhere else last night?” Pepper had already checked the workshop on her way up and while there were other bedrooms, spare rooms aplenty, Pepper doubted that Tony would give this room up for Colonel Rhodes. This was his real master suite, not the one where he most often entertained company.  
  
Pepper could see Rhodes struggling to open his eyes, first one and then the other. He flinched just as quickly as he managed to get them open.  
  
“Tony’s...” Rhodes waved his arm, or tried to, only to find it pinned down by the sleeping woman beside him. “He’s sleeping it off, Pep. Can’t you see?” His words were slurred with sleep or alcohol or perhaps both. Pepper couldn’t tell but it didn’t really matter which because Rhodes still wasn’t making any sense. And now Pepper was starting to worry.  
  
“No, I can’t see, James.” Maybe if she repeated his name enough times, spoke slowly and definitively enough, it would get through to him. Sometimes it worked with Tony. Okay, it hadn’t yet but Pepper kept hoping. Maybe one day. Something had to or she might just lose her mind. “Can you show me? Did Tony come home with you last night? Did Happy drop you off?”  
  
“Un-Happy.” Rhodes lifted his head blearily and let out a little giggle. “Very un-Happy. Tony sent him home early in the evening.”  
  
It took Pepper a moment to catch his meaning. She stifled the urge to shake her head or roll her eyes. Rhodes wouldn’t notice in his condition but it was a bad habit to get into, very disrespectful of her boss. Pepper suspected if she started rolling her eyes at Tony Stark’s antics now she may never stop. One day, if Tony ever deigned to notice it, it might just get her fired. She was far too much of a professional for that.  
  
“So where is Tony, Jim?” Maybe if she only asked one question at a time. Very slowly.  
  
“‘sleep.” Only it came out more like “schleep”.  
  
“Asleep, where?”  
  
Rhodes just blinked at her several times and let his head fall back to the pillow.  
  
“James.” Pepper took several urgent strides closer to the bed. She thought she might have finally been getting somewhere. She couldn’t afford to lose him to sleep now. Pepper touched his shoulder. It was slightly cool beneath her fingers...and the shape of the hand that fell gracelessly off the side of Rhodes' chest was all wrong. The hand itself was extremely hairy. Involuntarily Pepper leaned down for a closer look.  
  
She jerked straight back as the fingers twitched in a motion that was becoming as familiar to her as her own breathing. Tony without something in his hands was a Tony who could not be still. He was forever reaching for something.  
  
“Tony!” Pepper squeaked as one thought connected with the other. Immediately Pepper slapped a hand over her mouth, disbelief warring with horror. She had guessed within the first five seconds of meeting Tony that responding to him with more than mild  _anything_  would result in Tony immediately having won. And would most likely result in him running roughshod over her until she was fired or quit because she was unable to take it any longer. Her startled outburst had violated that unspoken rule.  
  
“Potts.” Tony’s voice was both muffled and slurred but was still unmistakably his. “Go ‘way.” The amount of whine that he managed to put into his tone should still be impossible out of anyone but a five year old, Pepper was certain.  
  
Tony rolled over, the arm that had been flung across Rhodes' chest coming up to cover his eyes. She thought he might be trying to look at her from beneath it. “What’re you doing here?”  
  
“It’s 10 AM on a thursday morning, Mr. Stark. I’m here to discuss your upcoming meeting with the board of directors - and Mr. Stane.” Maybe mentioning Obadiah would do the trick.  
  
“‘s too early. Tell them to come back next week.”  
  
Or not. Really, it was the lipstick that was breaking Pepper down. It was smeared across his lips - and not like some bimbo had left it there - but rather that it had been applied by an inexpert hand. What was not in her job description was judging, or speculating for that matter, and this came dangerously close. It was only normal to wonder a little - and boy, could Pepper not help but wonder about a plethora of things - when she found her boss in bed with his best friend dressed in a woman’s Twenties’ flapper wig, what she was pretty sure was a mini-skirt peeking out from beneath the comforter, and the remains of last night’s makeup. But she certainly wasn’t judging.  
  
Except to note with a critical eye that whoever had done Tony’s makeup had at least picked a good shade. She had never really noticed his lips before. They looked like good lips. Firm. Soft, in just the right way. Kissable.  
  
“I think you broke her.” Rhodes' words jarred Pepper from her train of thought.  
  
“Not likely, Colonel.” Pepper said calmly. Okay, she had checked out of the conversation there for a moment, but she wasn’t down and out yet. What Tony didn’t know couldn’t be used against her, and the day that a hungover, still mostly asleep Tony Stark could pull one over on her had still not come around yet. Pepper re-focused her attention on Tony. “Unfortunately given your current calendar, I don’t think that’s going to be possible, Mr. Stark.”  
  
Tony groaned. “C’mon, Potts. I’m dying here.”  
  
A condition which he had no doubt brought upon himself. Pepper sighed. A tiny one. She was not rolling her eyes. “I suppose the board meeting could be pushed back a few hours, Mr. Stark.”  
  
She still couldn’t see his eyes, but there was no mistaking the grin that flashed across his face.  
  
“You’re the best, Miss Potts,” Tony called out to her retreating back as Pepper left to contact the assistants of all the various and sundry board members. It wouldn’t be fun, but if they weren’t used to Tony never being on time by now.... “How about some breakfast?” Tony added. “Maybe from that place that makes that french toast. With the real vanilla beans.”  
  
Pepper froze, her attention catching on a pair of boxers that lay on the floor in front of her. White with pink hearts. Tony’s or Colonel Rhodes’? There was a smear of pink on the elastic waistband. “ _That place_  is in New York, Mr. Stark.”  
  
“So?”  
  
The same pink as... “The board meeting is here in Los Angeles,” Pepper stated the obvious.  
  
Tony threw the covers out of bed and rolled to his feet, coming to stand with his hand on his hips. “Yeah.” He wrinkled his nose. “I’m hungry. Make it happen, Potts.”  
  
Pepper couldn’t help the way her eyes flicked from his bare feet, up his stockinged calves to his impressively muscled torso and finally stopped on his face. And a very familiar shade of pink.  
  
The urge to laugh welled up within her again. It was all Pepper could do to nod and turn away to flee the room while she still could. She caught one last glimpse of Tony stretching his arms wide, up in the air before she fled the room.  
  
*** *** ***  
  
When Pepper got the location of the meeting changed to New York, ostensibly because it would be more convenient for several of the board’s longest serving members who were getting on in years, and the time changed to late afternoon, Tony actually seemed to take notice and be pleased. Pleased in a smug, nothing-less-than-how-it should-have-been way, but pleased nonetheless.  
  
And when Pepper arranged for those waffles to be waiting for Tony when he walked off the plane in New York several hours later, well, she received a note in Tony’s blocky, familiar handwriting that simply said, “Marry me, Potts.”  
  
It was signed with a lipstick kiss.  
  



	2. II. & III.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second time Tony Stark proposed it was in a timely manner.

"Marry me."  
  
Pepper gaped, lost for words. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she pressed her lips together and shook her head.  
  
"Tony, it's our first date. They haven't even taken our drink order yet."  
  
Her careful over-enunciation had not the slightest effect on Tony. He simply grinned bigger.  
  
"Why waste time, Potts?"  
  
"I...Tony, you just can't," Pepper said feebly, knowing even as she said it that her argument didn’t have a shot in hell of working. Tony was used to running over everyone and everything in his path to get what he wanted, and apparently what he thought he wanted at this moment was Pepper.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
So many reasons. Not nearly enough.  
  
"You're not serious."  
  
"More serious than I've ever been, Virginia."  
  
Pepper trembled. She had seen and done many things as part of her duties at Stark Industries. None of it had ever prepared her for having the full, intense focus of his gaze on her. When Tony gave something his complete focus there was nothing else like it. It was what made him such a damn good engineer.  
  
It left Pepper feeling faint and a little bit breathless.  
  
"The Board." It was all she could manage to get out under the weight of his eyes. She couldn't - could not - think about what he had just said.  
  
"Loves you. Thinks you're the best thing to ever happen to me." He fell back against the back of his chair. "They would be right."  
  
"As your PA, not your wife." Just saying that word made Pepper feel a little light-headed. In a good way.  
  
Tony waved a dismissive hand. "You'll have to do better than that."  
  
"People will think I'm taking advantage of you."  
  
"I don't care what people think. Just what you think."  
  
Pepper huffed. "It's crazy, Tony. You have to know that."  
  
"I like crazy. It's worked well for me," Tony said, sounding completely indifferent. His eyes told a different story. Anyone but Pepper would have missed it, but she recognized the faint hurt in his gaze all too well.  
  
It was why, even in the state she was in, Pepper had held back her real reasons. Tony wouldn't understand. He would misinterpret her fear and worry and turn it into something that was all about him. That she didn't love him. And that was just not true.  
  
She was Pepper Potts. She didn't do crazy and impractical. He was the impulsive one. She had to be grounded enough for both of them. No matter how loudly her heart was screaming to just say yes.  
  
"Tony..."  
  
"You know, Potts, in all of these excuses - which are absurd, by the way - you haven't said no."  
  
Pepper's heart clenched. He had a point. Part of her, a large part, the part currently residing in the center of her chest, didn't want to say no.  
  
"No."  
  
Tony blinked. "Well that was not how I hoped that would go."  
  
"You thought I'd say yes." Something that felt a lot like shame welled up in Pepper. Letting Tony down wasn't a feeling she was used to. Oh, she did it frequently with things that were work-related. This was different, personal. Pepper suddenly wished she had said yes. It was still crazy but... it was Tony. She should have expected him to throw himself into this as solidly as he did everything else in his life. It unnerved her that she had underestimated him.  
  
Even though she had kissed him, agreed to date him, some part of her clearly still expected him to be the same Tony as always, the one who could say the most amazing things but never meant them. The Tony who brought a different woman - or two - back to his mansion every night.  
  
Tony shrugged. "Yeah."  
  
"I tell you 'no' all the time." Pepper realized it was different, not relevant, but she wasn't sure what to say to this Tony, the one who had really meant this proposal.  
  
"But not about the things that really matter." And this was the most important thing he'd ever done.  
  
Pepper swallowed hard. "No," she agreed. "Not usually."  
  
She reached out to cover his hand with both of her own, leaning forward a little to reach. He didn't move or look up; Pepper brushed her thumb across the back of his hand in slow, soothing circles.  
  
"Tony." This time he did look up. Pepper attempted a smile. "It's too soon. We just haven't had time yet. We don't know..."  
  
"I know," Tony countered.  
  
"You haven't even-" Pepper cut herself off. If she said it, it would seem like she was fishing. Which she wasn't. She would not be like those women, the ones in his life only to get what they could from him. If she finished her thought now, he would think that was all it would take for her to say yes. It wasn't true and it wasn't fair - to either of them. If he said it now, she would always wonder if he said it just to get her to marry him. She couldn't stand the thought of that.  
  
"Haven't what?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"It's not nothing. Tell me."  
  
Somehow, and Pepper wasn't quite sure how, his hand, the one she'd held, had gotten free. His fingertips, faintly rough from all his time down in his workshop, ghosted over the sensitive skin of the inside of her wrist. Goosebumps rose on her skin and Pepper shivered.  
  
"Tell me or I'll have to find another way to get that information out of you." The heat in his gaze told her just what tactics he would be trying to get her to talk.  
  
Just the thought of that sensual onslaught made Pepper flush. "Promise?"  
  
Tony blinked, looking a little stunned, and then let out a deep peal of laughter.  
  
"All you had to do was ask, Ms. Potts."  
  
"But this is so much more fun." Pepper said it without thinking.  
  
Tony's face fell. It took Pepper a moment to realize why.  
  
"Not this," Pepper said quickly. "Not telling you no." This was gonna come back and bite her in the ass. She just knew it. Tony would be impossible but he deserved to know. "You have no idea how hard that was-"  
  
"Then say yes."  
  
Pepper's lips quirked. "No." She shook her head. "I meant the other. The arguing with you." She took another breath, not sure she should admit this either. "The flirting with you."  
  
Tony let out a delighted laugh. "So you finally admit it."  
  
Pepper flushed and smiled drolly. "I admit nothing."  
  
Someone discreetly cleared their throat. Pepper looked up sharply to see their waiter standing by the table. She hadn't even noticed him come up. The startled expression on Tony's face said he hadn't, either.  
  
"Hi, my name is Dan..."  
  
Pepper tuned the rest of his spiel out, her attention still focused on Tony. She only drew her eyes away from him long enough to give the waiter her drink order.  
  
Their laughter, her admission of how she liked flirting with him, had eased the tension. The bad tension, at least. The chemistry between she and Tony was still electric.  
  
"So you won't marry me," Tony said, when the waiter was gone.  
  
"Not today."  
  
"Well, I wasn't going to drag you to Vegas," Tony mumbled. "There was going to be an engagement and everything."  
  
This kind of sulking Pepper knew how to deal with. "You're too kind."  
  
"I wasn't going to rush into anything," Tony continued with an air of dignified injury.  
  
Pepper just laughed. She couldn't help it. "I'm pretty sure proposing on the first date is the definition of rushing things, Tony."  
  
"Yeah, well..." He shrugged.  
  
Silence grew for a minute and lingered, but it wasn't uncomfortable. There was simply no need for conversation as Pepper met his gaze easily. Tenderness welled up in her for this man. Tony could make her laugh and drive her crazy like no one else. She loved him for it and one day she would agree to marry him. Just not today.  
  
"Ask me again." Pepper said impulsively. It was suddenly very important to her that he knew she hadn't said no because she didn't want to marry him. It simply wasn't the right time yet.  
  
"Marry me."  
  
Pepper laughed. "I meant later, Tony. Much later. Surprise me."  
  
"I'll hold you to that."  
  
"Good," Tony agreed, his speech as brusque as ever. "Just don't expect to get a peek at the ring until you say yes."  
  
"Tony!" Pepper gasped. He couldn't be serious. He didn't really have a ring...did he?  
  
Tony just smiled and patted his jacket pocket. Pepper could just make out the faint edges of a small box.  
  
He really had been serious. Just when Pepper thought Tony couldn't possibly surprise her any more, he did just that. The urge to kiss him was overwhelming, so Pepper did, leaning across the table to capture his lips with her own.  
  
She couldn't believe this impossible, frustrating man who made her feel more loved than she had ever been. Even if he hadn't said those three little words yet.


	3. IV.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fourth time Tony Stark proposed it was bittersweet.

Tony leaned against the door frame. His arms were crossed over his chest and, even though it was after dusk, even though he was in his own home, he still wore his sunglasses. The only part of him that moved was his eyes as he watched Pepper dress.  
  
Watching her dress wasn’t his favorite thing - he preferred undressing - but there was something fascinating about seeing her this way. She built herself up one layer at a time - first underwear and stockings, then her dress and makeup, finally her hair - until she looked completely professional and untouchable. It was her hair that distracted him most of all. Every time he watched her put it up, he had the urge to take it down and watch it fall across her shoulders. Preferably Pepper’s bare shoulders, but he wasn’t picky. Most of all he just wanted to run his fingers through it, bury his face against her neck and breathe her in.  
  
And there was no way Pepper was going to let him do that right now. She had already warned him to stay away once. They had reservations and they were barely on time as it was. If he touched her...  
  
One of Tony’s favorite things about loving Pepper Potts, about being in a relationship with her, was the discovery of how responsive Pepper was to his touch. Through the years she had worked for him, Pepper had raised shooting down his flirtatious and lewd comments to an art form. Tony had loved every moment of watching her work, even when it left his ego bruised and bleeding. Especially then. Her seeming-untouchable-ness was, in part, what had made their relationship possible. If she had caved at his first flirtatious overture, Pepper would have been gone just as quickly as his other conquests and Tony would have never had the chance to get to know her. He would never have grown to trust her and depend on her until she was the one irreplaceable thing in his world.  
  
Tony hadn’t been able to help but wonder what it would be like to be in bed with the legendary Pepper Potts. He  _was_ just a man, and not a particularly saintly one at that. Would she be an ice queen in bed or warm up in his arms? The way that Pepper had responded to him from the moment that they had kissed up on the roof had still startled him though. She didn’t simply allow him to touch her; Pepper melted into his touch, whether it was a simple hand on her back or offering her his arm as they made their way through a crowd. More than that, Pepper often initiated contact with him. Little things, like the brush of a finger against the back of his hand, straightening his tie, tugging on the lapels of his jacket or best yet, pulling him down for a kiss that left him dazed and bemused.  
  
In short, Tony hadn’t thought Pepper had it in her - and he had been oh-so-wrong. Pepper Potts was more than a match for him. That was why he needed to end this farce of an evening before it went any further. He couldn’t do it, not like this. Tony didn’t have many boundaries. His sense of right and wrong was way past shaky, but when it came to Pepper he wouldn’t take any chances.  
  
“Stop.”  
  
Pepper barely glanced up at him, used to his often imperious commands, and equally used to ignoring them. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“We can’t go tonight.”  
  
“Tony, you had me make these reservations a month ago.”  
  
“I know. Sorry.” An afterthought. But he had gotten better, hadn’t he? There was some kind of thought now.  
  
Now Pepper had straightened and was staring right back at him. “So tell me why can’t we go?” Something flickered over her face. Bemused irritation faded away to be replaced with worry. “Did Jarvis-”  
  
Tony flicked his hand out to his side dismissively. “Nothing like that. Iron Man won’t be making an appearance tonight.”  
  
“Then, what? Tony...” Pepper sighed.  
  
“Did you really want to go that badly?” Tony asked, with an air of distraction. Pepper didn’t like the social scene; that was more his area. Most nights she would rather stay in and have pizza with him and the ‘bots, curled up on the couch, than face a mass of loud, pushy photographers all trying to catch a glimpse of Tony Stark, domesticated man, and the woman who had finally managed to tie him down. Metaphorically anyway. Mostly.  
  
“Not really, but I would like to know why you suddenly changed your mind. Especially after I spent all this time getting dressed.”  
  
Tony stepped forward, pushing himself away from the wall and strode over to Pepper. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close against him. “Having you to myself isn’t a good enough reason?” He brushed a strand of strawberry blonde hair back away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He let his lips ghost across her cheek until they were against her ear. “I want you.”  
  
“Tony...” This time Pepper sounded breathless, not irritated. Her fingers tightened around his lapels.  
  
Tony almost smiled. He would never have called her easy; Pepper was far more complicated than that. He was a genius though, and Pepper was his favorite obsession. He had dedicated himself to learning everything about her: what her favorite color was, what made her squirm when he touched her, and anything that made her smile. He had also put considerable effort into learning how to seduce her. The breathlessness in her voice was a sign that she was close to giving in.  
  
One hand let go of his lapel and moved up to cup his cheek. Her thumb brushed across his chin, ruffling his goatee. Teasingly Tony nipped at her thumb. Pepper laughed and reached for his sunglasses, snagging them off his face and pulling them away before he could evade her.  
  
“Hey, what was that for?” Tony demanded indignantly.  
  
“I wanted to see your eyes.”  
  
Tony met her gaze. It was suddenly hard to hold. “Yeah? What do you see?”  
  
Pepper didn’t reply immediately, but took her time. The longer she studied him, the more he wanted to look away under the scrutiny. Under everything was always the fear that one day she would realize who he really was, that she deserved better, and that Pepper would walk away.  
  
Her grip on his lapel tightened, pulling him towards her. This time Tony resisted, not hard enough to hurt her, but unwilling to fall into her. He knew he would be lost if - when - he did.  
  
“There’s something you’re not telling me.”  
  
“Lots of things, actually. There was that one time in Nice-”  
  
Pepper didn’t laugh this time, just clamped her hand over his mouth to silence him. “Tony.”  
  
There was so much in just the way she said his name. A reminder of who she was, of who they were together, and an exhortation to tell the truth. His usual bullshit and distraction wouldn’t work on her, not unless he succeeded in pissing her off way more than he wanted to this evening.  
  
“I was going to propose to you tonight.”  
  
Pepper seemed unfazed. Most of the women Tony had been with would have fallen apart at that, devastated at missing an opportunity that they had been gunning for since before they had met him. Pepper just looked nonplussed.  
  
“That’s not what you’re hiding,” Pepper said after a moment.  
  
“Right you are,” Tony agreed bitterly, wishing for a drink, but now was not the moment. He doubted Pepper would let go of him long enough anyway. Tony looked away. He couldn’t meet Pepper’s eye for this. “I wanted you to know I was serious. I had plans.”  
  
Pepper’s eyes widened a little at that. “So what happened to your plans?”  
  
Tony swallowed hard. “They had a major flaw.”  
  
“Your math is never wrong,” Pepper said teasingly.  
  
“It was this time,” Tony countered. “I was going to go see your parents. Do it right. Ask your old man for his blessing, get on your mom’s good side.”  
  
Pepper didn’t gasp, but Tony heard her sudden sharp intake of breath. Her lips pressed into a firm line. “That would be a little difficult, even with your resources.”  
  
“I didn’t realize you meant it. When you said I was all you had too.”  
  
Pepper’s hand slipped up his chest and curled into the hair at the base of his skull. Her nails scraped against his skin and her grip on his hair was almost painfully tight. Tony didn’t complain as Pepper dropped her head to his shoulder and tried to curl around his body. She hung onto him for dear life and he held her back just as tightly. They were two survivors clinging to each other as if letting go meant drowning.  
  
Eventually Tony heard Pepper sniff once, and then again, a signal that she was drawing herself back together again. He hadn’t realized how  _not_ together she was until then. He had only seen evidence of her tears once, when he’d come back from Afghanistan. He had never actually seen her cry. He felt her nose brush back and forth against his shoulder. Tony would have pushed away any other woman who had tried it. With Pepper, Tony decided that it was just adorable.  
  
Pepper straightened, pushing back until she could meet Tony’s eyes. This time Tony didn’t try to look away. “My mother would have hated you.”  
  
Tony laughed involuntarily. He couldn’t help it. It was the last thing he had expected Pepper to say. “Way to sugar coat it for me, Potts.”  
  
“She would have thought you were too charming and crazy by half,” Pepper continued. “Not nearly good enough for me, and my father would have hated you on principle, some cocky playboy after his only daughter.” She ducked her head. “But they would have come around when they saw the way you look at me.”  
  
“You do have fabulous legs.” It was habit more than anything that made Tony say it. He had to say something to ease the painful vice that was squeezing his heart.  
  
“Not like that. The way you look at me and make me feel special, safe and loved.” Pink tinted Pepper’s cheeks. “Like I’m the only thing you can see.”  
  
Tony touched her chin, tilted her face gently upwards. “I love you.”  
  
“I know,” Pepper said simply.  
  
“Good.” Tony held out a hand to her. “I have a proposition for you.” He saw the unease on her face immediately. Their conversation had been draining and as much as he knew she loved him, she didn’t want his proposal to come tonight. Not when the knowledge of her parents’ death was so fresh between them. “Not that one, Potts,” Tony whispered. “But don’t think I’m giving up, just delaying for a more appropriate time.”  
  
Pepper squeezed his hand. “Thank you, Tony.”  
  
“So my proposal is this,” Tony continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “Come to bed with me.”  
  
Pepper laughed at the sudden change in tone and topic.  
  
“Not like that,” Tony protested. “For now. I just want to hold you.”  _And not let you go._  
  
Both had lost their parents at a young age. They knew all too well the transience of life and if they had forgotten, Tony’s time in Afghanistan - and far too close brush with Palladium poisoning - had reminded them. Tonight was about remembering, reveling in what they had and sharing the pain of what they had lost.


	4. V.

The limousine rolled to a stop and Pepper glanced up, taking a split second to gird herself against the onslaught of paparazzi, legions of hangers-on and already slightly drunken party goers that would be on her the moment she stepped out of the limo. Instead Pepper saw the gently lit half-circle driveway leading up to the shadows of a very familiar portico.

“Happy, what are we doing here?” Pepper asked, craning her neck to around the seat in front of her to catch a glimpse of him. “We were supposed to be-”

“Orders, Ma’am,” Happy said, in his usual easy going manner.

Pepper’s eyes narrowed. “And where is Mr. Stark?” In the rearview mirror, Pepper saw Happy start to answer. His reply was cut off by the door on her side of the car being swung open.

“At your service, Ms. Potts.”

“Do you have Jarvis spying on me again?”

Tony’s lips quirked. “Only on special occasions.”

Pepper thought about it - thought about how Tony had been genuinely surprised when she had strode down into his workshop a few days before wearing nothing but a trench coat - and decided that Tony was probably telling the truth. She could live with that. She was used to him taking extraordinary liberties when it came to, well, everything. She was equally good at pushing back and enforcing the boundaries and limits that she found to be necessary. As well as a few that weren’t strictly necessary, just to make certain that he knew he couldn’t push her around.

“And what is the tonight’s special occasion? I thought I was supposed to be attending a gala in your absence.”

“Yeah, about that. Minor change in plans. In my absence and yours. I called your assistant this afternoon.”

“Tony...”

“I really did!” he protested. “You can call and ask. I may have said something about making it worth his while to forget to mention it to you.”

“You cannot corrupt my assistant, Tony.”

“Can too,” he countered. “Bet I’d be really good at it too.”

“Stick to corrupting your own assistant,” Pepper said firmly. “I like mine just the way he is - unscarred by the Tony Stark experience.”

“But if I corrupt my assistant, my COO would kill me, Pepper,” Tony pointed out, with a hint of a whine.

Pepper’s lips quirked, not in the least perturbed by his insinuation. If she’d had any doubts about his fidelity and commitment they wouldn’t have been together in the first place. “I said corrupt, not sexually harass, Tony. I thought you’d know the difference by now.”

“Aw, Pepper, you’re the only one I want to sexually harass.”

“You say the sweetest things.” Pepper didn’t even try to hold back the smile that curved over her lips.

“Hey, Potts, what do you say we get out of here?” Tony suggested, casually offering her his hand to help her out of the limo. “I gave Happy the night off and I’m pretty sure he wants to get to that.”

“How can I refuse an offer like that?” Pepper responded, taking his hand and letting him pull her gently toward him. She gave a quick glance up and down his body before she pressed herself into his side. “You look amazing tonight, Mr. Stark.” Standing there, barefoot and in a suit - one she’d mentioned on more than one occasion was a favorite of hers - with matching tie, one of the first she had ever bought for him, his hair looking as if it had once been carefully done, but was now thoroughly rumpled, he looked more than just amazing. It was all Pepper could do to keep from jumping him in the driveway. Tony probably knew that already. He had probably dressed up on purpose. Or he could simply be being his usual absent-minded self and forgotten to change from when he’d come into the office earlier in the day. That was the wonderfully infuriating thing about Tony. She could never quite tell what was carefully calculated and what wasn’t.

Tony grinned, tilting his head down to claim her lips as he slipped his arms around her, pulling her more tightly to him. “Oh good. I was hoping you’d notice. I thought I might have to try a little harder to pull your attention away from work.”

Pepper snorted. “You always have my attention if only because you wouldn’t have it any other way, Tony.”

“Right you are.

“So where are we going? You never answered.”

“Do you know what day it is?”

Used to such conversational non-sequiturs, Pepper didn’t even blink. “Tuesday.”

“And the date?”

A smile began to tug at the corner of Pepper’s lips. She had a suspicion she knew where this was going. “March 1st, Mr. Stark.”

“Very good, Ms. Potts. And do you know what world-changing event happened-” He hesitated slightly. “-some decades ago.”

“You may have to be more precise,” Pepper pointed out. “How many decades exactly was that?”

“Pepper,” Tony growled as Pepper’s laugh rang out into the night.

“Mmm, well it is your birthday today, but I’m sure you’re not referring to that. Nothing world-changing, after all.”

Tony groaned theatrically and held his hand over his heart. “You wound me.”

“I’m sure,” Pepper said, laying her hand over his.

“As I was saying,” Tony said, still carrying a wounded air. “It is my birthday so I thought we could have a private little celebration.”

Pepper glanced over at him in surprise. “I thought that was going to be on Saturday.” Of course she hadn’t exactly forgotten that today was his birthday. That’s why she had nothing on beneath her suit besides a bra and matching garter belt to hold up her stockings.

“Yeah, I think SI insisted on having something, but I wanted something a little less corporate and formal.”

Of course he did. Pepper knew all about the birthday parties that Tony had thrown himself in the past. Last year’s being a shining example - and one that was making her feel faintly sick as she thought about it.

“Exactly how many people are waiting inside?” Pepper trusted Tony. Really she did. That was why she wasn’t already calling Happy back to take her to her previous engagement. She didn’t want to watch Tony self-destruct all over again. Her heart couldn’t take it.

“None,” Tony said succinctly. “It’s just us tonight, honey.” He leaned a little more into her personal space until his lips were brushing up against her ear and she could feel the faint tickle of his goatee. “Private means private.”

A rush of warmth and excitement surged through Pepper, both at his words and his closeness. “Did you have something planned?”

Tony shrugged. “Just dinner. Anything else is up to you.” He raised one eyebrow in what would have been a leer, but it didn’t really look like his heart was in it. “Not unless you have presents.”

Pepper smiled with all the mystique of the Mona Lisa. “I may.”

“Where?” Tony demanded. “Jarvis and I have been looking for weeks.”

“I’ll never tell.”

Pepper kept up her refusal to answer as Tony led her into the house, only giving her time to put down her bag and phone before he dragged her out to the balcony. The balcony that was covered with pillows and cushions, lit by a ring of candles. It was the candles that surprised Pepper most of all. Tony Stark was not fond of such low-tech items. She would have been less surprised to find a glowing ring of miniature arc reactors lighting their dining area for the evening. Finding the white cushions from the ridiculously expensive couch in Tony’s living room thrown down onto the ground was less surprising. It still made some part of Pepper wince at such casual treatment of things that most people would never be able to afford. The rest of her had long ago accepted that Tony would never just be normal. It was even a little charming, when she thought about. Things were just things to Tony, no matter how much they cost. Their value lay in their usefulness and tonight these cushions were most useful for ensuring their comfort during Tony’s impromptu picnic. The attitude was almost admirable in its practicality.

They also looked incredibly inviting. The smell wafting up from the small selection of plates and bowls in the middle of the seemingly impromptu pile of pillows and cushions was nothing short of divine.

“Don’t tell me you’ve taken up cooking, Mr. Stark?” Pepper asked, turning to give him a teasing glance over her shoulder. She could feel his fingers against the small of her back; a faint touch, but oh, so distracting.

“I’m a man of many skills, Ms. Potts.”

Pepper just laughed. It was true that he was; he could do anything he put his mind to - like creating the greatest leap forward in weapons technology in decades from spare parts while being held captive in a cave. She still doubted that he had cooked dinner.

It didn’t matter. He had been the one to plan this - if not conventional, then still romantic and very sweet - dinner, just for the two of them. It was thoughtful, the thing she craved the most - well, almost the most - from him, because she had seen it the least. And on his birthday of all days, arguable the day of the year where Tony Stark was at his most self-absorbed.

Catching his hand, Pepper bent to undo the buckles on her heels, wanting them off, wanting to be comfortable before she sat down. Besides, no matter how proficient she was in heels, she still thought she might break an ankle trying to go over that pile of cushions and that would not do.

“Allow me,” Tony said, stopping her with a hand to her arm. He dropped to his knees in front of her, holding her gaze for several long moments.

Pepper’s breath caught, imagining him on one knee instead of both. She had said that he should ask again. For a moment, she thought he was reaching for something in his pocket and then he was bending, skilled fingers making short work of the buckles and strap on her heel. Her heart was already pounding in her chest before he slid his hand up to the back of her ankle and gently guided her feet free, first one and then the other.

Tony didn’t let go when he was done, but rather wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. Pepper didn’t resist. Instead her hand found its way into his hair, running lightly through the thick, deliberately mussed strands.

Tony was a very tactile person, constantly touching her in ways big and small, but rarely was he ever just still. He was now though - still - long enough that Pepper almost started to worry - until he pressed his face against her hip and looked up at her with dark, sparkling eyes.

“It occurs to me, Ms. Potts, that you seem to be in a compromising position with your boss.”

“Your boss,” Pepper corrected, though who technically had the upper hand between them at Stark Industries was still a little vague. It was probably best for the company that they never had a direct, irreparable conflict of interest. “And what are you going to do about it, Mr. Stark?” Pepper asked, challenging him. Having spent a decade avoiding his double entendres, flirtations, and leering comments, it was occasionally fun to attempt to goad him to new heights of inappropriate behavior now that she could actually enjoy it.

Tony laughed, a low gravelly sound that made her stomach give a very pleasant little flip, and gave her a good natured leer as he let her go. “I was thinking I could eat Ms. Potts.”

Pepper laughed, Tony’s tone having made it clear that he meant that sans comma. It was such a Tony thing to say. “Have I ever mentioned that I like the way you think, Mr. Stark?” Pepper said, stepping past him as his arms loosened, letting her fingers tangle briefly in his hair, just enough to give it a faint tug before she let go.

Tony leaned after her, swaying dangerously before he caught himself and straightened. “Evil, Potts,” he murmured under his breath, before he shuffled after her, not caring in the slightest about any damage that might be done to the knees of his incredibly expensive suit.

Tony let out a small huff of air as he reached his destination and turned a little awkwardly to fall back against a large white cushion. Pepper stumbled, slightly off balance on the uneven footing, and Tony straightened to catch her with hands on her hips. Instead of steadying her, however, Tony took advantage of her momentary lack of balance and gave a her a little tug, pulling Pepper down onto his lap.

“Tony,” Pepper shrieked, her hands flailing for something to steady her as she fell. “I can’t believe you did that.”

Well, actually she could.

“I can’t believe it’s taken me this long - a decade, Potts - to get you right where I want you.”

Pepper arched an eyebrow and squirmed in his lap. “Right where you want me?”

Tony let out a little groan. “Okay, maybe not right where I want you.”

Pepper laughed, squirming with more deliberation this time until she had twisted around enough to wrap her arms around his neck. Her fingers curled into the fine hairs at the base of his skull, tugging painfully and then pulling him close. Pepper kissed him with a languid intensity that sent a shiver down his spine. Reflexively Tony’s hands tightened their grip on her waist, drawing her toward him. The rough calluses on his fingers caught on the raw silk of her gown as his hands roamed over her back. Pepper arched into his touch but didn’t stop kissing him, letting her hands slide from the back of his neck to cup his face. Her thumbs brushed against stubble and Tony whimpered into her mouth. His hand clutched convulsively at the back of her dress, bunching up the fabric. And then he was tugging on her dress, pulling up the skirt.

With her skirt trapped beneath her, Tony’s actions weren’t particularly effective. It didn’t take long for his insistence to penetrate the fog of want that had begun to take over Pepper’s thought process, however. Their kiss turned sloppy. Her nose brushed against his.  
She let out a little laugh as she braced on his shoulders and awkwardly rose up on his lap, her knees straddling his thighs.

“Smooth, Potts,” Tony teased before his mouth was pressing against the base of her throat. His goatee tickled, leaving the tender skin of her throat sensitized and Pepper, herself, aching for more.

Pepper didn’t have to wait for long as his hands slid beneath the now-freed skirt of her gown and ran up her thighs.

“Not all of us have as much experience as you, Tony.” Her tone wasn’t accusing, just a little acerbic.

“Don’t care,” Tony mumbled against her throat. “Perfect.”

There was the faint scrape of teeth on her skin. Pepper let out a squeak and clutched at Tony harder as his lips sealed to her skin and he began to suck. His tongue laved over the mark he was making as Pepper began to pant. Tony squeezed her ass once as he moved upwards. Since a backless blue dress and the first dance that they had shared together at the Fireman’s ball, her back had always seemed to fascinate him. Tonight was no exception with the way his hands slid over smooth skin. He never seemed to get enough of her. Pepper couldn’t bring herself to mind. If he kept touching her like this for much longer she wouldn’t be capable of minding anything.

Pepper was the responsible one. That had always been her role in their relationship. If Tony Stark was an irresistible force - something to which Pepper could certainly attest -then Pepper was the proverbial immovable object that grounded him. Their relationship had evolved, changing as Tony had when he came back from Afghanistan. No longer was Tony careless and rash. Rather, his priorities had shifted. They didn’t always align with Pepper’s but they were always there, driving him relentlessly forward with as much passion and determination as he had previously thrown into the wind to be wasted on women and whatever project of the week caught his attention, only to be discarded, likely before it was finished. It was fortunate that had changed because this Tony, the one who knew exactly the way to touch her, just the right thing to say, and did things that made her heart melt, was dangerous in a way Tony had never been before. He could make her forget herself and the things that had always seemed so important before. Perhaps not for good, or even for long, but he could. Sometimes Pepper wasn’t sure how she felt about that. The rest of the time, when even the memory of him could bring a smile to her lips, could make her feel warm and safe and loved, Pepper thought that maybe it was a good thing. What they did was important but if they forgot to just live sometimes, then what was she working for? What was Tony fighting for?

“Stop thinking,” Tony growled, kissing and nipping his way down her chest. “I can practically hear it.” He nipped a little bit harder that time. “The only thing you’re supposed to be thinking about right now is me.”

Pepper laughed, the sound turning into a gasp as his tongue laved at her nipple. Her fingers clenched around a handful of his collar.

“You  _are_  hard to ignore,” Pepper admitted, her voice coming out breathier than she had intended.

“Good,” Tony said succinctly. He raised his head to look at her. “I am pretty amazing.”

Pepper rolled her eyes. She couldn’t help it. “Oh you think so?”

“I’ll prove it. Just you wait.”

“I’ve been waiting.” It didn’t take much effort for her to sound a little put out. Foreplay was good. Tony was always amazing with his hands, but now Pepper was ready for Tony to stop playing around. Her body was on fire and she ached for want of him.

“Well, never let it be said that I kept the lady waiting when she asked so nicely,” Tony countered. He cupped the underside of her thighs and lifted, tumping her onto her back.

Pepper clutched at his forearms as she fell back into the pile of pillows, drawing him down on top of her.

“Better?” He queried.

Pepper just shook her head at him. She was gasping in the next instant as he found his goal, fingers stroking over her soaked panties. His touch was light enough to tease and torment, enough to drive her crazy but not give her relief. Pepper rolled her hips, trying to push against his hand, seeking more contact. Mostly Tony ignored her, choosing to go at his own pace, to touch and stroke where he wanted. To make Pepper wait for it.

But patience had never been Tony’s strong suit. He shifted to one side of her and pulled her panties down her legs, sitting up enough that he could take them all the way off. They were discarded just as quickly, tossed somewhere to be discovered at a later time. Thoroughly unimportant now. The roughness of his fingers against the inside of her calf and then her thigh made Pepper shiver and spread her legs wider for him. The cocky grin on his face at her reaction didn’t make her heart race. Oh, no. Then Tony stroked her, his thumb brushing across her clit. The faint touch made her jerk like she’d touched a live wire. Her hips canted towards his hand. Tony slid two fingers smoothly, easily into her.

Pepper moaned and pushed back against the contact. Tony pushed the billowy fabric of her gown a little bit higher and bent over her. His tongue, his lips found her clit with unerring accuracy. He licked and sucked, wetly, messily as his fingers pushed into her and then withdrew, setting a hard, fast rhythm that was both relief and torment. Pepper panted, each inhale quick and sharp, and every exhale ending with a little gasp she couldn’t quite contain. He fondled her breast - always, always good with his hands - and flicked his tongue over her clit. Her whole body began to sing, muscles tightening, straining as Tony brought her ever closer. It built until Pepper didn’t think she could take anymore and then built some more. She was crying out Tony’s name until it was one continuous sound and clutching at Tony’s hair, holding him to her. Pepper came with a choked noise and arched back. She barely noticed Tony slipping a hand beneath her to hold her as her orgasm rolled through her.

Pepper lay spent and trembling in his arms as Tony sat up and gathered her into his lap. Her long legs dangled over his legs at an awkward angle but Pepper couldn’t bring herself to care. She raised one limp hand to run her fingers down Tony’s cheek.

“Hey,” she spoke hoarsely. Her hand trailed down his cheek and dropped onto his chest. She stopped over the arc reactor. The faint vibrating hum of it was as familiar and welcome to her as her own heartbeat.

“Right back atcha,” Tony said. He bent to kiss her softly.

Pepper could taste herself on his lips. Even in her limp and satiated state the knowledge was a turn on. She bit his lip gently and then let it go with a scrape of her teeth.

“Pepper.” This time Tony’s voice was a whine drawing her name out in plea - both for mercy and for her not to stop.

“You seem happy to see me,” Pepper murmured. She could feel his erection pressing into her hip, even if Tony hadn’t acted on it yet.

“I’m  _always_ happy to see you.”

Pepper laughed because it was true and turned in Tony’s embrace so that she was facing him. Idly, she traced around the arc reactor and then glanced back up at him. His dark eyes were dilated with desire, but he was still just holding her and watching.

“Well, you are the birthday boy. I think I could come up with a present for you.”

Tony’s arms tightened around her. “You are my present. Every day.”

Pepper knew that if some people - people who didn’t know them - heard what he had just said, they would mistake his meaning. They would think that he meant that she was there simply for his benefit. Another thing that belonged to Tony Stark. They couldn’t have been more wrong. He saw her as a gift. Something he tried, as much as he could, to never take for granted. It could be hard to see if you weren’t paying attention but it was there. And it was one of the reasons that Pepper loved him the way she did.

“Smooth talker,” Pepper said, smiling and shifting in his lap until she was sure she had his attention. She felt between them - finding him and then his zipper - and drew it down slowly, never taking her gaze from him.

Tony met her eyes until she took him in her hand. He swallowed convulsively, and his eyes snapped shut. “Pepper...”

“Shhh,” she murmured, putting a finger over his lips. “I’ve got you.”

Tony nodded once sharply and then something in him...relaxed. Pepper knew Tony trusted her. They had been through too much together for her not to know that. But every time she saw evidence of it, the nature of the precious gift he gave her so willingly, so easily, it struck her anew. For all the times Tony had been betrayed, he never tried to protect himself by holding back from her. Instead he gave freely of himself, encouraging her to take...everything.

So Pepper did. Rising up on her knees, her hand still wrapped around him, Pepper guided herself down onto him. Tony hissed. His hands clenched her hips tight enough that Pepper wondered if she would have bruises in the morning. She waited until she had sunk all the way down on him and his grip on her hips had loosened - after urging her several times to start moving - before she began to roll her hips in a languid pace. Tony’s hand dropped from her waist and bunched the sheet up with a crushing grip.

“Look at me,” Pepper said, needing to see his eyes. They were the most expressive part of him.

His gaze was soft and liquid when he met her eyes, burning with desire. She had never found him more desirable.

“Beautiful,” Tony gritted the words out through clenched teeth. “Fucking amazing.”

At any other time, Pepper might have taken Tony to task for his language. For that moment all she could do was agree, however. He was fucking amazing. They were amazing together. She never wanted to forget this moment.

Tony’s hips were rocking against hers faster, thrusting harder. Pepper stopped trying to think or process any of this and gave in to just feeling. It wasn’t like she could have strung together a coherent thought at that point, even if she had been so inclined. Her second orgasm hit Pepper just before Tony came. He thrust up into her a handful more times as shudders racked her body and she collapsed against him. Distantly she felt him come inside her and his motions cease. His heart pounded beneath her ear; the faceplate of the arc reactor was cool against her sweat-slicked skin.

“That wasn’t part of the plan,” Tony rasped hoarsely from beneath her.

Pepper arched an eyebrow that she was well aware that he couldn’t see. “You had a plan?”

“Absolutely, Potts. You seduced me. I was trying to have a romantic dinner here.”  
Pepper snorted. “Well, if you have complaints...”

“Never!” Tony gasped with mock-indignation. He sat up abruptly, making Pepper slide off his chest and end up in the pile of cushions next to him. “Is this your way of telling me you have complaints, because I’ve never-”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Stark,” Pepper cut him off. “I’m not going to feed your ego any more than twenty years of being America’s Most Wanted Playboy already did.”

“Damn,” Tony said. His voice, however, lacked any hint of regret. Instead he scooted back until he was propped up against the wall of the house and held a hand out to Pepper. She scooted up beside him willingly and rested her head on his shoulder.

Pepper took one clear-eyed look at their surroundings and let her eyes fall shut. “Am I going to have to worry about paparazzi shots of this showing up online in the morning?”

“‘course not,” Tony said blandly. “For stuff this good, TMZ would wake up its head editor at 3 AM.”

Pepper pursed her lips into a thin line. “That’s so reassuring.”

Tony stroked her hip, finding himself entranced by the smoothness of her skin there and the line of her thigh. So distracted, he almost lost the thread of their conversation. “Oh, Jarvis has it covered.”

“Jarvis?”

“Ma’am?”

Pepper wished she had opened her eyes so that she could close them again. “And I suppose you were recording this whole time?”

“No, Miss Potts. Mister Stark has left me with explicit instructions about activities that supercede my usual security programing and shutdown my recording capabilities.”

Pepper glanced up at Tony. “So he watches but he doesn’t record?”

Tony shrugged, not thinking much of it until he glanced down and saw the expression on Pepper’s face. Then he sat up a little bit straighter. “But the important thing is Jarvis also monitors any nearby vessels and aircraft that might be close enough to take pictures. Even extremely long range pictures. He’s programmed to notify the cops if they are and to shut them down.”

“Tony...”

The man in question didn’t look remotely chastened. “Trust me, Pep. I promise it’s okay. No one will ever know. I’m just...very hard to photograph. Most of the paps realized it a long time ago and moved on to easier places to catch me doing stupid things. Like bars. And clubs. And-”

Pepper cut him off with a finger to his lips. “They used to take plenty of pictures of you. I remember a particularly delightful one of your bare ass plastered against the glass door leading on the balcony while you got it on with two supermodels.”

“That was before,” Tony said simply. “You weren’t involved.”

“I was,” Pepper said indignantly. “Who do you think cleaned that mess up?”

“No, I mean, you weren’t involved with me. That was just...my bare ass.”

The meaning of his words finally filter through Pepper’s mind. She’s charmed. It’s such a typically Tony thing to say. All she could do was shake her head and lean up to kiss him. His arm slid up her back and held her to him for several long moments. Even when Pepper gently broke the kiss, Tony didn’t let go.

"When I thought I was dying, when I thought it was going to be my last birthday, I talked to Rushmanoff. I decided." He waved his hand as if it didn't matter. "If it was my last birthday I was going to do exactly what I wanted." Tony looked down at Pepper, meeting her eyes with an intensity that he reserved only for her and particularly sticky feats of engineering. He needed her to understand, to know his heart’s desire. He needed her to know him. "Only I couldn't have what I wanted." He shrugged. "I settled for getting mind-blastingly drunk and trying to forget everything."

Pepper squeezed his thigh in sympathy. That night had been hard on all of them. Knowing what he had faced alone that night made it even harder. It made a small part of her even angrier that he hadn't told her.

"What did you want?" Pepper asked quietly. There wasn't many things that Tony Stark couldn't get. Even fewer that she couldn't have gotten for him.

Tony smiled. "You. This." he held her gaze. "Sitting here barefoot, watching the stars and holding you. That's all."

He held her gaze until she couldn't hold his anymore, until her heart couldn't contain the love she had for him any more.

"Oh, Tony," the fond exclamation fell from her lips just before she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, pushing him back against the wall.

He had always been able infuriate her and leave her helplessly charmed at the same time. It was disconcerting to say the least. Now that she was hopelessly in love with him, it was even worse.

Pepper clung to him tighter, breaking the kiss to bury her face in his shoulder. "Don't ever do that to me again," she whispered, remembering the party, how close he had come to dying and how close she had come to losing him. She couldn’t love him more now if she tried. That he loved her just as much was the surprise. It was everything.


	5. VI.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fifth time...wasn't like all the rest.

If there was one thing Pepper Potts had learned from Tony Stark, it was never let them see you sweat. Never admit that sweating was even a possibility. She had learned well.  
  
Currently Pepper was also about five hours late for a meeting of the Stark Industries board of directors. Which was about five hours later than she had ever, in her life, been for a meeting when it didn’t involve struggling to cajole and strong-arm Tony into attending himself.  
  
The deep breath that Pepper took the moment before she opened the conference room door was noticeable to no one else. Her stride didn’t break. There was no momentary hesitation, and she certainly didn’t straighten her spine or lift her head. No, Pepper had been prepared for battle from the moment she had stepped off the plane.  
  
It wasn’t her fault that some wannabe terrorist with pretensions of super-villainy had attacked Stark Towers in Manhattan that morning, operating on the assumption that Tony was in residence. He, in fact, had not been. It had only been an unexpected drop in by Rhodey and War Machine that had insured that her lateness was temporary and not permanent.  
  
It left Pepper in no mood to take any of the board of director’s usual crap. While Stark Industries had weathered some tough times, under Pepper’s direction the ship had righted. Clean energy was far more morally acceptable than weapons manufacturing, and while they weren’t quite making money hand over first yet, they soon would be.  
  
There was also the fact that Pepper hadn’t seen Tony in over two weeks. Her first glimpse of him as she opened the door with no attempt to stifle the sounds of her entry, revealed him leaning casually back in his chair, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. The tension in his shoulders and the intensity of his eyes told Pepper a different story. And he looked like he had lost weight. Again.  
  
“Ladies. Gentlemen. Members of the board. It’s very good to be here this afternoon.” Pepper hand brushed Tony’s shoulder as she stepped behind him, her fingers brushing the bare skin of his neck. She saw his minute shiver out of the corner of her eye. Pepper was fairly certain she was the only one who would have noticed. She didn’t remove her full attention from the board. They deserved no less and her relationship with Tony was for no one’s public consumption.  
  
“Yes, yes, but it would have been better this morning. When this meeting was scheduled, Miss Potts.”  
  
From Tony that form of address would have been an endearment. Coming from Alexander Barrington III it was a reminder that he viewed her as nothing more than Tony’s personal assistant, with every unsavory 50’s sexist connotation the title had deserved in Alexander Barrington III’s heyday.  
  
“I was unavoidably detained.” Pepper would not apologize. Would not.  
  
“It’s like my name’s not even on the side of the building.” Tony glanced up at Pepper. “My name is still on the side of the building, right, Potts?”  
  
Pepper’s lips quirked into what Tony would know was a smile, the faintest twitch of the corner of her mouth. “Yes, Mr. Stark. Several of them actually.”  
  
“Excellent.” He spun back to the board. “I just don’t understand why you don’t love me anymore, honey.” Tony held a hand out, mock-imploring. “Is it something I’ve said?”  
  
“In point of fact, Mr. Stark while you still own a controlling amount of Stark Industries, you are no longer CEO of Stark Industries and it is one of Miss Potts duties to meet with us and answer our questions.”  
  
Pepper took a step forward, towering in her heels, and leaned over the table bracing herself on both arms. “And it does make it so much more uncomfortable for you to attempt to force Mr. Stark out when he’s actually present.” The way that two of the older members of the board let their gaze slide down from her face to her chest didn’t escape Pepper’s notice.  
  
“Now that’s just mean.”  
  
Pepper wanted to laugh. She had found upon her promotion to CEO that when Tony was on her side, when she wasn’t the one who had to clean up his messes, his unique brand of creating chaos and pissing people off was a joy to watch. He was the noise, energy and explosion that everyone wanted to dismiss and ignore. Pepper was the steel fist encased in a kid glove that came in behind him to ram the changes through while everyone was still distracted.  
  
“Miss Potts, I think you can agree this company would be much better off without Mr. Stark’s...reputation hanging over us.”  
  
“His reputation as an upstanding member of the community, who gives more to charitable organizations than this board makes in total - in a year, who has revolutionized the future of clean energy and made the world a safer place by striving to right the damage done by reckless policies that killed hundreds of innocent people and were once condoned by this very board? I can’t think of anything that might be a better asset for this company. Having Mr. Stark as the face of Stark Industries makes me proud to be its CEO.” Her voice was never once raised above her normal speaking tone.  
  
Pepper felt warm fingers on her calf and was grateful that there was a large, imposing table between she and Tony and the rest of the board. There was no way they could see Tony’s fingers stroking up and down the inside of her calf, just below her knee. It wasn’t a sensual touch exactly, more of an acknowledgement of her defense. Coming from Tony however, it wasn’t a completely platonic gesture. It never was.  
  
“Your feelings about your job and this company are irrelevant. What is relevant is the way that Mr. Stark’s hobby as Iron Man is making this company a target for unsavory elements who wish to attack him on a personal level. Construction had barely been completed on Stark Tower when it was severely damaged by the Chittauri attack.”  
  
“They attacked the whole damn Earth. It’s not my fault that psycho demi-god thought my tower was the coolest one around,” Tony shot back. “What do you want me to do? Be less awesome? It doesn’t work that way, boys and girls.”  
  
“Someone has to be held responsible for the damages that were incurred.”  
  
“And he was. Shipped him all the way back home to his planet.”  
  
“Yes, but is he insured? Can he be tried in a court of law and be forced to pay for the damages that his actions incurred?”  
  
Pepper straightened. “You’re as insane as Loki, if you’re going to try to make Mr. Stark responsible for the damages done by Loki. Especially when Mr. Stark was one of the only reasons that Loki was stopped - and it was not without great personal cost.”  
  
“What of that personal cost?” Tony was pinned with a demanding look. “If you had died, Mr. Stark, what would have become of your stake in the company? It is beyond irresponsible to leave the future of Stark Industries and all the people that it employs in jeopardy simply because of your recklessness. It would be better for all concerned if you would simply step away and let-”  
  
“Let the adults take care of business?” Tony suggested, pushing his chair back from the table and rising. He met the eyes of every single board member in turn as he slowly rebuttoned his suit jacket. “Tried that. Ended up selling arms to terrorists and having my heart ripped out. Not gonna do it again.” Tony laid a hand at the small of Pepper’s back. “I gave you Pepper. Be happy with that.”  
  
“Or what, Mr. Stark?”  
  
“Or I’ll disband this board. I don’t need you - or this company. What I do - who I am - is more than Stark Industries and if you can’t get behind what we’re trying to do, then we’ll do it without you.”  
  
“You can’t do that!”  
  
“You’re insane, Stark!”  
  
“You bastard! Stane was right.”  
  
“You won’t get away with this.”  
  
“Quiet.” Pepper’s voice was barely louder than usual but it cut through the chorus of angry voices with ease. “Mr. Stark can and Mr. Stark will. Furthermore I will do everything in my power to personally guarantee that no other project that you work on will ever succeed if you insist on continuing down this path.” It was no idle comment. Pepper might have started out as just Tony’s personal assistant but she had proven her worth and her ability to make someone rue the day that they had crossed her on more than one occasion. Working for Tony Stark was like going into a melee with only a sword and no shield. She had learned how to wield it quickly and with the most deadly intent.  
  
“Is that a threat, Miss Potts?”  
  
“No, an assurance.” Pepper didn’t give them a chance to continue. “But that’s irrelevant. This discussion - and this meeting - is over.”  
  
“You can’t dismiss our concerns that easily.”  
  
“I’ve addressed all of your concerns,” Pepper countered. “As ridiculous and cowardly as they may have been. There’s nothing more to say here.”  
  
“And if we don’t feel satisfied?”  
  
“Then you’re free to leave the Stark Industries board.”  
  
“If we decide to take action against Mr. Stark instead?”  
  
“The world will find out just how unruly your own affairs are - each of you.” Pepper smiled at Barrington. “How is your wife, sir? Do you think you’ll still be a respected member of the community once everyone discovers that you haven’t spoken to her in six months. The cancer isn’t even in remission.”  
  
Barrington blanched. The rest of the board was silent.  
  
“Don’t cross me. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”  
  
“Ladies and gentlemen, Pepper Potts.” Tony, at his most antagonizing finest.   
  
Pepper felt like kissing him; she just might do that once they were alone. A lot.  
  
*** *** ***  
  
“Well that was fun.”  
  
“If that’s really your idea of fun, then I should take you out more,” Tony said wryly, tugging at his tie and dropping into the seat he had vacated earlier. He swiveled around until he could stare up at Pepper.  
  
“You should, but that’s not the point. You get off on explosions; I prefer more bloodless confrontations.”  
  
“I’m not sure about that,” Tony said, using his feet to scoot the office chair closer to Pepper. He stopped when he was close enough that she was standing between his outstretched legs. “But are you implying that’s what gets you off?”  
  
Pepper rolled her eyes. “I would say that’s the worst line that you’ve used on me, but it’s not even in the top five.”  
  
Tony continued like she hadn’t even spoken. “Because I was hoping I was what got you off.”  
  
“You’re not always there,” Pepper pointed out ruthlessly. “I haven’t even seen you for two weeks.”  
  
“Are you saying I’m not what you imagine? That you don’t think about my hands, my voice, my massive-”  
  
“Ego? No. That’s always been your least attractive feature.” If only she wasn’t lying about that. She wasn’t, at least not completely. It was. In small doses. But Tony would never, ever know that, and unfortunately he never did anything in small doses.  
  
“I’m wounded.” Tony let his hands rest on her hips for a moment and then slid them down to the curve of her ass. “Comfort me?”  
  
It was the pleading, puppy dog quality of his gaze that made Pepper laugh and let him pull her down to his lap. Even if she didn’t really buy the puppy dog look and hadn’t for years. It didn’t matter. He had missed her and she had missed him just as much.  
  
Tony wrapped his arms around her and Pepper sank into his embrace. She breathed him in as he pushed his nose against her neck, nuzzling against sensitive skin with his goatee. Her breath caught and she tightened her arm around his neck. There was nothing else like the solid strength of his arms around her. Pepper let one hand drift down to his chest to rest over the arc reactor. Its faint hum beneath her fingers was a familiar reassurance. She really had missed him so much. She didn't want to have to let him go.  
  
“Missed you.” Tony was the one to verbalize the thought. “Let’s get out of here. Head back to the Tower. I haven’t had a chance to say a proper hello.” He dipped his head to capture her lips with his. None of his desire was hidden or repressed in it.  
  
“Just one thing.”  
  
“Anything.”  
  
“Marry me.”  
  
Tony jerked back to look at her. “Wait, isn’t that my line?”  
  
“Not this time, Stark. I beat you to it.”  
  
He covered her hand - the one that rest over his heart - with his, and realized that she was trembling faintly.  
  
“Well?”  
  
“I don’t even get a minute to think about it?”  
  
“I was sort of hoping you were a sure thing.”  
  
“I think I’m insulted.”  
  
“Tony.” The quaver had migrated to Pepper’s voice. For all her bold talk, Tony realized that Pepper wasn’t so sure at all.  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
Tony nodded. “Damn right, Potts. You’re not getting rid of me that easily. But don’t think that means you can get away with not getting me the prettiest ring money can buy. I’m not a cheap date, you know.”  
  
Pepper didn’t reply; she just laughed throwing her arms around him again and burying her face in his shoulder. Her laughter hitched into a sob.  
  
There was no way in hell she was letting him go now.


End file.
